Safety electronic device for presence detection inside a vehicle

Abstract

An electronic device for detecting the presence of an occupant on board a vehicle includes an audio sensor to acquire sound-sensing signals on board the vehicle. A movement sensor acquires movement-sensing signals associated with movement of the vehicle and an environmental sensor acquires environmental-sensing signals on board the vehicle. A processing unit is coupled to the audio sensor, movement sensor, and environmental sensor processes the respective sound-sensing signals, movement-sensing signals, and environmental-sensing signals to monitor the presence on board the vehicle of the occupant and the absence of a responsible person to determine a situation of danger and to activate a corresponding alarm warning.

The invention claimed is: 
     
       1. An electronic device, comprising:
 an audio sensor configured to acquire sound-sensing signals in a vehicle; 
 a movement sensor configured to acquire movement-sensing signals indicating movement of the vehicle itself; 
 an environmental sensor configured to acquire environmental-sensing signals in the vehicle; and 
 a processing unit coupled to receive the sound-sensing signals, the movement-sensing signals, and the environmental-sensing signals from the audio sensor, the movement sensor, and the environmental sensor, respectively, and configured to determine presence of an occupant on board the vehicle based on the sound-sensing signals, movement-sensing signals, and environmental-sensing signals and to activate a corresponding alarm warning based on that the presence of the occupant being determined; 
 wherein the processing unit is configured to evolve in a state of alert starting from a wait state in response to processing of at least the sound-sensing signals detecting the presence of the occupant on board the vehicle; and configured to evolve from the state of alert into a state of danger of a first level of danger in response to the processing detecting the presence of the occupant for a time interval longer than a time threshold, and 
 wherein the corresponding alarm warning includes a first warning at the first level of danger and a second warning, the first warning including at least a remote communication directed to a responsible person, the second warning including in addition to the remote communication directed to the responsible person an activation of one or more of a sound or a light signals at the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       2. The electronic device according to  claim 1 , wherein the audio sensor comprises a MEMS microphone sensor; and wherein the processing unit is configured to process the sound-sensing signals in a time domain and/or in a frequency domain to identify in the sound-sensing signals patterns indicative of the presence of the occupant on board the vehicle. 
     
     
       3. The electronic device according to  claim 2 , wherein the movement sensor includes a MEMS accelerometer sensor and a MEMS gyroscope sensor and the movement-sensing signals include linear-acceleration signals and angular-acceleration signals; and wherein the processing unit is configured to process the movement-sensing signals to identify, in the signals, patterns indicative of a state of movement, or a state of stopping, of the vehicle. 
     
     
       4. The electronic device according to  claim 1 , wherein the environmental sensor includes a temperature sensor, and the environmental-sensing signals include a temperature signal indicative of a temperature on board the vehicle; and wherein the processing unit is configured to process the environmental-sensing signals to determine a situation of danger as a function of the temperature. 
     
     
       5. The electronic device according to  claim 1 , further comprising a communication unit configured to be controlled by the processing unit to transmit the alarm warning. 
     
     
       6. The electronic device according to  claim 5 , wherein the communication unit comprises a mobile data-communication module and an associated identification module configured to access to a cellular network. 
     
     
       7. The electronic device according to  claim 1 , wherein the processing unit is configured to evolve in the state of danger from the first level of danger to a second level of danger in response to processing of the environmental-sensing signals detecting the presence of an environmental condition that is at least potentially harmful for the occupant. 
     
     
       8. The electronic device according to  claim 7 , wherein the harmful environmental condition is associated with a temperature on board the vehicle higher than maximum first threshold or lower than a second threshold. 
     
     
       9. The electronic device according to  claim 8 , wherein the processing unit is further configured to evolve again into the wait state in response to the processing of at least the movement-sensing signals detecting a condition of movement of the vehicle. 
     
     
       10. The electronic device according to  claim 9 , wherein the second warning is issued in response to the second level of danger. 
     
     
       11. The electronic device according to  claim 1 , further comprising an electronic-circuit board to which a number of chips are coupled, each chip being provided with a corresponding package, and the number of chips integrating the audio sensor, the movement sensor, the environmental sensor and the processing unit on the electronic-circuit board. 
     
     
       12. The electronic device according to  claim 11 , wherein the electronic-circuit board is configured to be integrated in a safety and restraint device for the occupant on board the vehicle. 
     
     
       13. The electronic device according to  claim 11 , wherein the electronic-circuit board is configured to be integrated in an on-board electronic system of the vehicle. 
     
     
       14. The electronic device according to  claim 1 , wherein the occupant is a child. 
     
     
       15. A device, comprising:
 an electronic detection circuit including:
 an audio sensor that in operation senses sound signals in a passenger compartment of a vehicle; 
 a movement sensor that in operation senses movement signals indicating movement of the vehicle itself; 
 an environmental sensor that in operation senses environmental signal of an environmental condition of the passenger compartment; and 
 
 a processing circuit coupled to the audio, movement and environmental sensors and that in operation processes the sound, the movement, and the environmental signals to determine a presence of an occupant in the passenger compartment, and that in operation activates an alarm warning the based on the detected presence of the occupant; 
 wherein the processing circuit is configured to evolve in a state of alert starting from a wait state in response to processing of at least the sound signals detecting the presence of the occupant on board the vehicle; and configured to evolve from the state of alert into a state of danger of a first level of danger in response to the processing detecting the presence of the occupant for a time interval longer than a time threshold; and 
 wherein the alarm warning includes a first warning at said first level of danger and a second warning, the first warning including at least a remote communication directed to a responsible person, the second warning including in addition to said remote communication directed to the responsible person an activation of one or more of a sound or a light signals at the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       16. The device of  claim 15  wherein the electronic detection circuit is attached to a baby seat. 
     
     
       17. A method, comprising:
 acquiring sound-sensing signals on board a vehicle; 
 acquiring movement-sensing signals indicating the movement of the vehicle itself; 
 acquiring environmental-sensing signals on board the vehicle; 
 processing the sound-sensing signals, the movement-sensing signals, and the environmental-sensing signals to detect a presence of an occupant on board the vehicle; 
 determining a situation of danger responsive to the processing of the sound-sensing, the movement-sensing, and the environmental-sensing signals; 
 activating an alarm warning in response to the determining indicating the situation of danger; 
 starting from a wait state, transitioning into a state of alert based on the processing of at least the sound-sensing signals detecting the presence of the occupant on board the vehicle; and 
 transitioning from the state of alert into a state of danger having a first level of danger based on the processing detecting the presence of the occupant on board the vehicle for a time interval that exceeds a time threshold, 
 wherein the corresponding alarm warning includes a first warning corresponding to the first level of danger and a second warning, the first warning including at least a remote communication directed to a responsible person, the second warning including in addition to the remote communication directed to the responsible person an activation of one or more of a sound or a light signals at the vehicle. 
 
     
     
       18. The method according to  claim 17 , wherein the processing further comprises transitioning from the state of danger having the first level of danger to the state of danger having a second level of danger based on the processing of the environmental-sensing signals detecting presence of an environmental condition harmful to the occupant and the second warning corresponds to the second level of danger.